When you learn blackjack’s basic rules, you will understand that it is a quite simple game. If you’re new to blackjack, you should know that there are several things you need to learn about the game before you start playing. A good guide to blackjack can bring you a lot of wins and additional helpful tips could even enhance your winnings.
If after you master the basic rules you’re still unsure about something, we recommend that you practice the game online for free before you start playing for money. This can be done at the most trusted online casino sites that feature this game.
What people first learn about blackjack is that your cards cannot exceed the 21 value. Although that’s true, there are so many other things you should know if you want to beat the house, which always has an advantage on you.
Learn the Basic Rules First
You should first meet the protagonists in blackjack. These are the arc-shaped table, the dealer or croupier and a deck of 52 standard cards which have their face value, with the exception of aces, jacks, queens, and kings. Now, the jacks, queens, and kings have a 10 value, while the aces are worth 11 or 1, depending on the situation.
What Is a Good Hand?
Before we get into the more complicated things, let’s clear out what a good hand would be. The safest scenario is keeping two cards that total 21. However, to be dealt that kind of hand is highly unlikely. That is why you should know when to ‘stand’, when to ‘hit’, when to ‘split’ your cards and when to ‘double down.
First of all, you make a bet and you are dealt with two cards, as is the dealer, whose one card is face-up. Now, to stand means that you’re satisfied with your card count and you are not asking for another card. To hit means you’re asking for a new card but here you have a risk of exceeding the 21 or in other words, go ‘bust’. This is when the game has finished for you. Splitting your cards means you’ve decided to treat your cards as separate hands and you make two separate bets, if you have been dealt with a pair of the same cards, say two nines.
And finally, you can double down your cards if you see that your two dealt cards total 11, 10 or 9 and you place another bet identical to the original for which you are dealt another card, face-down. Another interesting bet, also known as the ‘insurance’ is when the dealer’s face-up card is an ace and you’re betting for half of the original bet that his face-down card is a ten value card. If you win, you get double. If you lose, you lose the entire game.
Useful Tips
The following tips are suggested by pro blackjack players. They say you should never split 5s, ten-cards, and 4s, and always double if your hand is ten or nine and the dealer’s hand is poor. Also, you should always double when your total is 11.
But this is just the tiny tip of the iceberg. There are so many other things you need to learn before you even dare to play online blackjack for real money. We’ll explain to you all the tips you need to know in detail, so when you make your deposit and you start betting, you’re prepared for everything.
Always Know When to Hit and When to Stand
Even the craftiest blackjack players have different opinions when it comes to standing and hitting, however, there are a few things they all agree on. We’ll share these things with you.
Believe it or not, there are only a few instances when you should hit with certainty. You should always hit when you have a hand that totals 11 or less, as well as when you have a hand that totals 17 or less.
When it comes to standing, there are several situations where you need to hold your cards. If you see that the dealer has a four, five or six and you’re holding a hard 12, you should always stand. The same goes when you see that you have a hard 13, 14 or 15 and the dealer’s card is 6 or less. The best hand you can be dealt with, which you can keep, is a hard 17 or higher and a soft 18 or 19.
Never Accept Insurance If You’re a Beginner
If this is your first rodeo, whether at a casino or at one of the newest bingo sites, make sure you don’t accept the insurance bet at all costs. The insurance bet may look tempting and lucrative, but is actually the trickiest one you can make in blackjack. In fact, making this bet means that you suspect the dealer has a blackjack after he has shown an A. But do you know what the chances are of that happening? 9 to 4!
Let us remind you that the insurance bet requires a 2 to 1 bet on your behalf, and if you’ve guessed wrong, you lose everything you’ve won so far. Sure, if your guess was right you win the double, but until you’ve practised enough online and you’ve become more experienced blackjack player, just stay away from this bet. It can eat you alive.
Doubling a Soft Hand Is Always a Good Move
There is this common mistake online blackjack players always make, and that is avoiding doubling soft hands. Just a reminder, a soft hand is the hand when you’re dealt with an ace in combination with some other card. Another reminder: the ace can count both as 1 and as 11, depending on the situation.
This means that whenever you’re dealt with an ace and, let’s say, a six or a seven, you should always double. As a matter of fact, if you really were dealt with an ace and a seven, that means that you have a soft 18, which is actually one of the best possible hands you can get in blackjack. Additionally, it is one of those hands you are paid the most for.
If you are looking for a guide on how to play online roulette, we also have you covered.
